Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-25
road runs is thickly settled, highly pro-

fruit are plentiful all along the line EnC
farm products of ell kinds will low sloD3
this useful artery to build up and stimu-
late the trade of our city. The first sts-
tion on the line after leaving Fort Worth
Kennedalc, has been for long time
noted for its mineral wells. The waters
here greatly resemble the waters OF
| Woolen we'll. But besides strong min
eral waters oi different kinds there are
/ fountains of the purest water. This little
town is situated on sloping hillside par;
open and part in shade, end will doubtless
| become a favorite summer re-
| sort II the near future That
| it is situated IN the heart of
thickly settled neighborhood is at
tested by the fact that in radius of three
miles are half a dozen cotton gins.
After leaving Fort Worth some four or
Eve miles the road runs through g belt of
cross timberS that can supply cheap fuel
T 60 the city for many years to come. A
dozen miles further on is very fertile
and extremely pretty open country.
Mansfield, q thrifty town of ambitious
aspirations, the second station on the
line, is on the nineteenth mile. Those
familiar with the old wagon trail to Wax
ahachie will discover in the third station,
named now Midlothian, the old familiar
HAWKINS springs.
The country between this point snd
Waxshachie is noticeable for its numerous
and Well-cultivsted farms and for good
farm stock. The people are we'll housed,
the lands well fenced, and the whole
coustTy has an air of independence snd
prosperity.
ADout two years SGD, when times were
far less promising than now, the Fort
Worth and New Orleans road was started.
With characteristic liberality Fort Worth
subscribed as bonus TO whoever would
undertake the work the round sum of
$4,000. After some negotiations the
work was undertaken by home people. 4
line was promptly surveyed, and ia Sep
TENDER, 1885, work was begun. The road
vas pu5 II operation early IN the summer
of 1886. Shortly afterwards it was leased
to the Texas Central, which gave the
Huntington system I terminus 81 Fort
Worth. About the Ist of January, 1887,
syndicate, SAID to be headed by Mr..
Huntington, purchased the road and is
now operating it proftabIy, as IL connects
with Hous-o on and Texas Central at the
other terminus.
THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND SANTA FE.
This giant corporation that threatens
to control the greater part of commerce
west of the Mississippi river, absorbed
the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Road in
the early part of the year 1886, and Fort
Worth, being the msia terminus Of the
latter road, at once became a ceotraI fig
ure in the speculations SIS 10 Whist we're
the intended mOvem entS of the new and
powerful factor in Texas commerce. The
contract by which the Gulf Road was ab-
sorbed by the other stipulated that the
Gull, Colorado and Santa'Fe Road should
build 8 specified number of miles OF road
nOrthW&rd into the Indisn Territory In
order to preserve the franchise granted
that company by Congress IN the years
1854. This work is now finished ana
the road is in operation to the northern
limits of the state, and Gainesville, in
Cooke county, is the most important town
on the new extension. This gives the
Atchison Road trunk line from Atchi-
son, Kan, to Galveston, Tex, and
glance at the map will show what sn i'm
portant feature this line will be in the
commerce of the west.
Many things have been said about the
future operations of the corporation in
Texas and the indications are that g large
influx OF eastern capital will follow it,
seeking investment in the various secuIi-
ties offered in this state. The very La
ture of things suggests that this road
must have deep water port on the Texas
coast; its connection With the Pacific
coast from Ell Paso, Tex, and its power
full hold on the commerce west of ST.
Louis; its line just completed from AtCh-
isOn, Kan, 10 Galveston, point towards
n - hot
outlet when it purchased the Gulf road.
The trunk line running through Fort
Worth will drain the country 1t touches.
Work on an extension of the Gulf, Colo
RADIO and Santa Fe Road is now being
pushed from Temple enthusiastically
evidently with the view of a connection
with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
system at FL Paso, Albuquerque or some
other point in the far west, and the Only
plausible solution Of this work is the one
suggested above This combination
must have deep water on the Texas coast,
and Galveston seems to De its only east
BILE point IS the situation now stands
There seems to be no limit to the ambition
and resources of this factor il Texas
railroads., and study of the situation
Shows tnRt Fort Worth, which is touched
OJ u uhh 4tlGS e%1AC al tEIlC5 VI all l+S IL
walls, will be the central figure in the
struggle for the commerce Of the Lone
Star state that IS already assuming such
gigantic shape.
Fort Worth gave this road a bonus of
$4,000 to build the extension of the
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Road north
from this city.
On May 13 the first through train from
Topeka, Kan, arrived in this city.
THE FORT WORTH AND RIO GRANDE.
In 1876, Captain B. B. Paddock, then
the editor of the Fort Worth Democrat,
published 8 map of the future great rail
way center of Texas. 1t vas laughingIy
alluded to by the state press as "Pad-
docks tarantula map" Then the Texas
and Pacific was the only T-ilWay touching
the town, but this map had on it al the
roads now entering the city, and by q
strange coincidence, the man who con-
CeiVed the map is president Of the lastrOad
to complete the"tarantula. Captain Pad
dock saw leg after leg of his tarantula
added to the body (FJrt WORTH, aud
under difficulties that would have dis
heartened most men, he undertook the
work of building the Fort Worth and Rio
Grande Road. He spent number of
months in the east and finally interested
a wealthy syndicate in the road. a popu-
lar subscription of $40 900 was donated
to it by the citizens OF Fort Worth, and
on the % day of November, 1886, the
work of construction was commenced
with the objective terminal points, Fort
Worth and BrownWoOd,i in Brown county,
80 miles TO the southwest, The road is
now graded TO Granbury, in Hood coun-
ty, and twenty eight miles of track has